1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of fences and, more particularly, silt fencing for preventing soil erosion.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Silt fences are often used as barriers to sediment, particularly in connection with preventing soil erosion at construction sites. In fact, many counties in the United States have enacted ordinances requiring the use of erosion control fencing at both residential and commercial building locations. Conventional silt fences are made by driving wooden stakes into the ground and stapling a partially buried, flexible plastic fencing material to the wooden stakes. While appearing simple to construct, this type of silt fence is actually very inefficient and costly. For instance, care must be taken when driving the wooden stakes into the ground as telephone, cable and other wires may be present below the surface. In addition, mainly because the fencing material will tend to tear when attempting to detach it from the stakes, these types of fencing arrangements are generally designed for one-time use. That is, both the fencing material and the wooden stakes are often discarded after being removed from a given construction site.
Attempts have been made to provide a maintenance-free silt fence. For example, Shea, U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,868, proposed a silt fence that eliminates the need to staple the fencing material to a wooden stake. In Shea, post units are inserted into the ground with each post unit having two hollow elongated tubes. Each of the outer tubes includes a slit along their length, enabling a rigid rod attached to a flexible fencing material to be inserted therein. With this construction, Shea's invention requires post units driven into the ground, making the fence difficult to install and limiting its transportability.
Other attempts have been made to provide a sediment and erosion control apparatus that is easily and quickly installed, inexpensive, and reusable. These attempts include a triangularly shaped foam barrier that does not require wooden stakes. An apron is disposed around the foam barrier wherein the apron is anchored to a ground surface. Since the sediment and erosion apparatus is made of foam, a truck can easily drive over it. However, the barrier is often replaced because the foam deteriorates and it develops a smell. When the barrier needs to be replaced, the whole barrier needs to be replaced, increasing the costs to maintain the barrier. In addition, since the foam barrier is one piece and not very compressible, the barrier is not easily storable.